Systems and methods for controlling purchasing and/or reauthorization to access content using quick response codes and text messages

ABSTRACT

A mobile device including a content module, an imaging module, and an interface. The content module is configured to attempt to access content including transmitting a content request signal from the mobile device to a user receiving device. The imaging module is configured to acquire an image of at least a portion of a screen shown on a display connected to the user receiving device. The interface is configured to transmit the image or information pertaining to the image to the user receiving device, a head end or a content provider to cause the user receiving device or the mobile device to receive an authorization signal for access to the content.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/421,059filed on Jan. 31, 2017 and claims benefit to U.S. application Ser. No.14/587,930 which was filed on Dec. 31, 2014. The entire disclosure ofthe above application is incorporated herein by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to television systems and, morespecifically, to systems and methods for controlling purchasing andreauthorization to access content.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background informationrelated to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Satellite television has become increasingly popular due to a widevariety of content and the quality of content available. A satellitetelevision system typically includes a set top box that is used toreceive satellite signals and decode the satellite signals for use on atelevision. The set top box typically has a memory associated therewith.The memory may include a digital video recorder or the like as well asstorage for an operating code of the set top box.

Content providers provide a variety of content to consumers. Availablecontent is typically received at a set top box (or user receivingdevice) and displayed to the user using a guide. The guide typicallyincludes channels and timeslots as well as programming information foreach information timeslot. The programming information may include thecontent title and other identifiers such as actor information and thelike. The user selects a channel via the guide and the set top box (STB)then displays the channel on a display (e.g., a television).

Customers (or users) of a service provider can subscribe to variouspackages. Each of the packages provides access to a certain set ofchannels. The customers call the service provider to establish anaccount with the service provider. While setting up an account, acustomer selects a package and provides billing information to theservice provider. The customer is then able to access channels in theselected package.

In addition to the channels in a selected package that a customer issigned up to receive, the customer may also receive additional content.This may include the customer selecting a channel, program and/or videovia the STB and/or again calling the service provider to request for theselected channel, program and/or video. For example, a customer mayrequest a video, obtain authorization to receive the video, and receivethe video at a STB of the customer. This is often referred to aspay-per-view (PPV). The video is transmitted to the STB and may then bedisplayed on a display (or television) of the STB. The customer maycontrol when the video is displayed.

In certain instances, authorization to content that a user (orsubscriber) has subscribed to can be lost. For example, if a STB ispower OFF for an extended period of time, authorization to certaincontent may be lost. Authorization codes are sent from a contentprovider to the STB. The STB periodically receives reauthorization codesto maintain access to certain content. If the STB is OFF when thereauthorization codes are sent, the STB does not receive thereauthorization codes and thus loses authorization to access thecontent. As another example, an authorization (or reauthorization) codemay not be received properly and/or may not be processed properlythereby preventing access to the content.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for providingcontent access based on quick response codes and text messages.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a mobile device is provided andincludes a content module, an imaging module, and an interface. Thecontent module is configured to attempt to access content includingtransmitting a content request signal from the mobile device to a userreceiving device. The imaging module is configured to acquire an imageof at least a portion of a screen shown on a display connected to theuser receiving device. The interface is configured to transmit the imageor information pertaining to the image to the user receiving device, ahead end or a content provider to cause the user receiving device or themobile device to receive an authorization signal for access to thecontent.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a mobile device is provided andincludes a content module, a control module, and an interface. Thecontent module is configured to attempt to access content includingtransmitting a content request signal from the mobile device to a userreceiving device. The control module is configured receive a textmessage or an image of the text message, where the text message wasdisplayed on a display connected to a user receiving device prior to thecontrol module receiving the text message or the image of the textmessage, and where the text message is based on the content requestsignal. The interface is configured to transmit the text message to ahead end or a content provider to cause the user receiving device or themobile device to receive an authorization signal for access to thecontent.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a user receiving device is providedand includes an interface and a control module. The interface isconfigured to receive a content request signal from a mobile device toaccess content. The control module is configured to, in response to thecontent request signal, display a content preview screen on a display,where the content preview screen includes a message and at least one ofa quick response code, a text message and a user input element. Theinterface is configured to, based on the at least one of the quickresponse code, the text message and a user input corresponding to theuser input element, receive a second request signal to access thecontent from the mobile device. The control module is configured toobtain an authorization code based on the second request signal anddownload or display the content based on the authorization code.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a head end is provided and includesan interface and an authentication code. The interface is configured toreceive a request for content, where the request for content includes atleast one of an image, quick response code information, and a textmessage from a user receiving device or a mobile device. Theauthentication module is configured to, based on the at least one of theimage, the quick response code information, and the text message,generate an authorization signal for the content. The interface isconfigured to transmit the authorization signal from the head end to theuser receiving device or the mobile device to permit downloading of thecontent by the user receiving device or the mobile device.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a content provider is provided andincludes an interface and an authentication module. The interface isconfigured to receive a request for content, where the request forcontent includes at least one of an image, quick response codeinformation, and a text message from a user receiving device or a mobiledevice. The authentication module is configured to, based on the atleast one of the image, the quick response code information, and thetext message generate an authorization signal for the content. Theinterface is configured to transmit the authorization signal from thecontent provider to the user receiving device or the mobile device topermit downloading of the content by the user receiving device or themobile device.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating a mobiledevice is provided. The method includes: attempting to access contentincluding transmitting a content request signal from the mobile deviceto a user receiving device; acquiring an image of at least a portion ofa screen shown on a display connected to the user receiving device; andtransmitting the image or information pertaining to the image to theuser receiving device, a head end or a content provider to cause theuser receiving device or the mobile device to receive an authorizationsignal for access to the content.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating a mobiledevice is provided. The method includes: attempting to access contentincluding transmitting a content request signal from the mobile deviceto a user receiving device; receiving at the mobile device a textmessage or an image of the text message, wherein the text message wasdisplayed on a display connected to a user receiving device prior to themobile device receiving the text message or the image of the textmessage, and wherein the text message is based on the content requestsignal; and transmitting the text message to a head end or a contentprovider to cause the user receiving device or the mobile device toreceive an authorization signal for access to the content.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided and includes:receiving at the user receiving device a content request signal from amobile device to access content; in response to the content requestsignal, displaying a content preview screen on a display, wherein thecontent preview screen includes a message and at least one of a quickresponse code, a text message and a user input element; based on the atleast one of the quick response code, the text message and a user inputcorresponding to the user input element, receiving a second requestsignal to access the content from the mobile device; and obtaining anauthorization code based on the second request signal and download ordisplay the content based on the authorization code.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating a head end isprovided. The method includes: receiving at the head end to receive arequest for content, wherein the request for content includes at leastone of an image, quick response code information, and a text messagefrom a user receiving device or a mobile device; based on the at leastone of the image, the quick response code information, and the textmessage, generating an authorization signal for the content; andtransmitting the authorization signal from the head end to the userreceiving device or the mobile device to permit downloading of thecontent by the user receiving device or the mobile device.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating a contentprovider is provided. The method includes: receiving at the contentprovider to receive a request for content, wherein the request forcontent includes at least one of an image, quick response codeinformation, and a text message from a user receiving device or a mobiledevice; based on the at least one of the image, the quick response codeinformation, and the text message, generating an authorization signalfor the content; and transmitting the authorization signal from thecontent provider to the user receiving device or the mobile device topermit downloading of the content by the user receiving device or themobile device.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the descriptionprovided herein. It should be understood that the description andspecific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and arenot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a communication system inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a head end in accordance withthe present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a user receiving device inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a control module of the userreceiving device of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a mobile device in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 6. is a functional block diagram of a content purchasing systemillustrating purchase of content using a quick response code inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of an authorization systemillustrating reauthorization of content using a quick response codeand/or a text message in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of controlling purchasing and authorizationto access content in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain types of user receiving devices may not be connected to theInternet and/or may not be cable of calling back to and/orbi-directionally communicating with a service provider to requestcontent (PPV content or other content). The user receiving devices maybe referred to as “unconnected boxes”. A user receiving device may notbe able to perform a handshake procedure with a service provider inorder to authorize reception of the content at the user receivingdevice. Thus, some customers of a service provider may not be able toreceive certain content at user receiving devices of the customers.Examples are disclosed below that allow a customer to order contentincluding PPV content, obtain authorization for content, and reauthorizereception and/or viewing of the content if authorization has not beenobtained and/or is lost. These features are provided for customers withuser receiving devices regardless of whether the user receiving devicesare connected to an Internet and/or are capable of calling back toand/or bi-directionally communicating with a service provider.

FIG. 1 shows a communication system 10 that includes a head end 12. Thehead end 12 operates as a content processing system and a transmissionsource. The head end 12 may also be used for distributing content andproviding billing data. The details of the head end 12 will be furtherdescribed below with respect to FIG. 2.

One or more content providers 14, only one of which is illustrated, mayprovide content and data related to the content such as metadata to thehead end 12. The content providers 14 may individually and/orcollectively be referred to as a service provider. The content mayinclude channels, programs, videos and/or other content. The metadatamay include ratings data. Ratings data may include Motion PictureAssociation ratings such as G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 and X. Ratings datamay also include television ratings such as TV-Y, TV-Y7, TV-G, TV-PG,TV-14, and TV-MA. Of course, different countries may have differentrating systems. The head end 12 receives various types of content anddata from the content provider 14 and communicates the content tovarious user devices associated with the system.

The head end 12 may communicate content to users in various mannersincluding a satellite system and through terrestrial networks. Carryingthrough with the satellite example, the head end 12 includes an antenna18 for communicating process content through an uplink 20 to a satellite22. The satellite 22 may include a receiving antenna 24 and atransmitting antenna 26. The receiving antenna 24 receives the uplinksignals 20 from the satellite antenna 18. The transmitting antenna 26generates downlink signals 28 and communicates the downlink signals 28to various user receiving devices 30 and/or mobile devices 31. The userreceiving devices may be implemented as and/or include set top boxes.Although user receiving devices 30 are shown as being connected to anetwork 42 via a router 44 and being able to send signals back to thehead end 12 and the content provider 14, the user receiving devices 30may not be connected to the network 42 and/or an Internet and may not beable to send signals back to the head end 12 and/or the content provider14.

The head end 12 may be connected to the user receiving devices 30 viathe network 42 and/or the router 44. The network 42 may be a singlenetwork or a combination of different types of networks. For example,the network 42 may be a broadband wired network, a digital subscriberline (DSL) network, and/or a wireless network. A broadband wired networkmay be an Ethernet network or a phone line network. The network 42 maybe a one-way network such that data may be communicated from the userreceiving devices 30 to the head end 12. The network 42 may also be atwo-way network that delivers content from the head end 12 in responseto selection signals communicated from the user receiving devices 30.The network 42 may be in communication with the local area network 36.The network 42 may include an Internet.

The user receiving devices 30 may include and/or be connected todisplays 46 (e.g., televisions), as shown. The displays 46 may displayboth video signals and output audio signals. The user receiving devices30 may be referred to as fixed (or non-mobile) user devices because theuser receiving devices are intended to be used from a fixed position onthe surface of the earth. The user receiving devices 30 may includecircuitry to tune, decode and store content therein. Details of the userreceiving devices 30 are further described below.

The user receiving devices 30 may be in communication with each otherthrough a network 36 such as a local area network. Content may be storedin one or more of the user receiving devices 30 and/or in a memoryseparate from the user receiving devices 30 and accessed by the userreceiving devices 30. The content may be shared by and/or transmittedbetween the user receiving devices 30. The user receiving devices 30 maybe located in respective rooms of a building (an example of which isdesignated 28), such as a home, multi-unit dwelling or business. Thecontent may be delivered to two or more of the user receiving devices 30during a same period of time in a multi-room viewing function. The userreceiving devices 30 may be associated with one or more accounts.

The user receiving devices 30 are in communication with an antenna 48.The antenna 48 receives the downlink signals 28. Thus, the userreceiving devices 30 may be referred to as satellite televisionreceiving devices. However, the system has applicability innon-satellite applications, such as in wired or wireless terrestrialsystems. The user receiving devices 30 may be included in and/orimplemented as televisions, set top boxes, and/or set back boxes andthus may be referred to as fixed (or non-mobile devices). The userreceiving devices 30 may be referred to as televisions, set top boxes,and/or set back boxes. The user receiving devices 30 may beinterconnected.

The user receiving devices 30 may be connected to the router 44 and/ormay be in communication with the network 42 and the mobile devices 31.The mobile devices 31 may be cellular phones, smart phones (i.e. haveInternet access), dumb phones (i.e. do not have Internet access),tablets, laptops, wearable device, etc. A wearable device may be one ofa number of types of devices that are worn by a user. A wearable devicemay be fixed wearable by a user meaning the wearable device is meant tobe fixed to the user. Examples of wearable devices include acomputerized watch such as a Samsung® or Apple® watch. The watch devicesare fixed to an arm of the user. Another example of a wearable device isGOOGLE GLASS®, which is fixed to a head of a user. Of course, othertypes of wearable devices affixed to other parts of the body may beused. A wearable device may be in direct communication with the userreceiving devices 30 through Bluetooth® connections. As described below,the user receiving devices 30 and the mobile devices 31 may includeBluetooth® transceivers (referred to as radios). The mobile devices 31may also be in communication with the user receiving devices 30 viaInternet protocol (IP) connections and/or the router 44. The mobiledevices 31 may also be in communication with devices (e.g., the head end12) outside the local area network via the router 44 and/or the network42.

The router 44 may be a wireless router or a wired router or acombination of the two. For example, the user receiving devices 30 maybe wired to the router 44 and wirelessly coupled to the mobile devices31. The router 44 may communicate IP signals to the user receivingdevices 30. The IP signals may be used for controlling various functionsof the user receiving devices 30. IP signals may also originate from theuser receiving devices 30 and be transmitted to the mobile device 31.

The mobile devices 31 may also have displays, an example of which isshown in FIG. 5. The displays of the mobile devices 31 may display videoand output audio signals. The displays may be touch screens that act asuser interfaces. Other types of user interfaces on the mobile devices 31may include buttons and switches.

The network 42 may, for example, be a public switched telephone network,the Internet, a mobile telephone network or other type of network. Thenetwork 42 may be in direct wireless communication with the mobiledevice 31 via a cellular system and/or may be in indirect communicationwith the mobile devices 31 via the router 44 and/or the user receivingdevices 30.

The content provider 14 provides content to the head end 12. Althoughonly one content provider 14 is illustrated, more than one contentprovider may be incorporated in the system 10. The head end 12distributes the content through the satellite 22 and/or the network 42to the user receiving devices 30 and/or the mobile device 31.

A data provider 50 may also provide data to the head end 12. The dataprovider 50 may provide various types of data such as schedule data ormetadata that is provided within the program guide system. The metadatamay include various descriptions, actor, director, star ratings, titles,user ratings, television or motion picture parental guidance ratings,descriptions, related descriptions and various other types of data. Thedata provider 50 may provide the data directly to the head end and mayalso provide data to various devices such as the mobile device 31 andthe user receiving device 30 through the network 42. This may beperformed in a direct manner through the network 42.

FIG. 2 shows the head end 12. It should be noted that the head end 12 isillustrated as a single device or facility, but may refer to multipledevices and/or facilities. That is, each of the individual componentsillustrated within the head end 12 may be physically located in variouslocations. The head end 12, one or more of the modules of the head end12, and/or the memory of the head end 12 may be included in the contentprovider 14.

The head end 12 may include a content distribution module 210 that isused for distributing content through different means. The head end 12may be in communication with an output module 212 for uplinking contentto a satellite through the uplink antenna 18 as illustrated in FIG. 1and/or transmitting signals to and/or receiving signals from the network42. The output module may include and/or be implemented as an interfaceand/or a transceiver. The content distribution module 210 may thusformat the signal in an appropriate format for uplinking through theoutput module 212. The output module 212 may uplink various contentthrough the satellite to the user receiving devices 30 and/or the mobiledevices 31 (collectively referred to as receiving devices) of FIG. 1.The content distribution module 210 may also transcode the content informats suitable for use by the receiving devices.

The output module 212 may also communicate conditional access data tothe receiving devices for accessing the content. The conditional accessdata may be communicated in a conditional access packet that includesdata for tuning the receiving devices to receive the data. Theconditional access data may be received directly or indirectly from aconditional access module 224. The conditional access module 224 mayprovide conditional access signals to a billing module 220 to allow aparticular user access to content. The conditional access module 224 maygenerate a conditional access packet (CAP) together with data from thebilling module 220 for uplinking through the output module 212. If thecontent is satellite content, access data such as, but not limited to,the particular transponder, channel and time at which the content isbroadcasted may be provided in the CAP. If the content is to be providedover an Internet or other broadband-type network, an IP address of thecontent may be provided. The CAP may also include encryption/decryptioninformation for the receiving devices to receive the content and decodethe content.

The content distribution module 210 may also be in communication with anetwork interface module 214. The network interface module 214 may be incommunication with the network 42 (shown in FIG. 1) for communicatingcontent therethrough. The network interface module 214 (or the contentdistribution module 210) may format the content signals into internetprotocol signals for distribution through the network 42.

The content distribution module 210 may also be in communication withcontent memory 216. The content memory 216 may be referred to as acontent repository. The content memory 216 may receive content from acontent providing module 217 for distribution through the satellitesystem or the network 42. The content providing module 217 may receivecontent from the content provider 14. The content memory 216 may saveon-demand or pay-per-view content therein.

The content providing module 217 may also provide live televisioncontent for distribution through the content distribution module 210.The content distribution module 210 may thus communicate live contentthrough the output module 212 or through the network interface module214 to the appropriate networks.

The content providing module 217 processes received content forcommunication through the satellite 22 or network 42. The contentproviding module 217 may communicate live content as well as recordedcontent. The content memory 216 may store On-Demand or Pay-Per-Viewcontent for distribution at various times. The Pay-Per-View content maybe broadcasted in a linear fashion (at a predetermined time according toa predetermined schedule). Linear content may be presently broadcastedand may also be scheduled to be broadcasted in the future. The contentmemory 216 may also store On-Demand content therein. On-Demand contentis content that is broadcasted at the request of a user receiving deviceand may occur at any time (not on a predetermined schedule). On-Demandcontent is referred to as non-linear content.

A billing module 220 may also be incorporated into the head end 12. Thebilling module 220 may be used for associating one or more receivingdevices with a user account. For example, different types of receivingdevices such as mobile devices and one or more fixed set top boxes maybe associated with a user account. By associating the receiving deviceswith a user account, content may be shared or accessed by each of thereceiving devices associated with the account.

A registration module 222 may be used to associate each of the receivingdevices with a user account at the billing module 220. The registrationmodule 222 may be an automated system through which the user calls oraccesses remotely by computer for associating the receiving devices withthe account. The registration module 222 may also be partially humanactivated in which a customer service representative enters data formultiple receiving devices and associates the receiving devices with anaccount.

A program guide module 230 may also be included within the head end 12.The program guide module 230 receives metadata and other data from thecontent providing module 217. The program guide module 230 is ultimatelyused to communicate content and metadata to the output module 212. Theprogram guide module may thus contain data related to the ratings of theparticular content to be broadcasted and controlled by the contentdistribution module 210.

The program guide module 230 communicates program guide data to the userreceiving devices 30 illustrated in FIG. 1. The program guide module 230may create various objects with various types of data. The program guidemodule 230 may, for example, include schedule data, various types ofdescriptions for the content and content identifier that uniquelyidentifies each content item. The program guide module 230, in a typicalsystem, communicates up to two weeks of advanced guide data for linearcontent to the user receiving devices. The guide data includes tuningdata such as time of broadcast data, end time data, channel data, andtransponder data name a few. Guide data may also include contentavailable on-demand and pay-per-view content.

A scheduling module 232 may be in communication with the program guidemodule 230 and the content distribution module 210 to arrange thecontent to be distributed as well as provide program guide data for thecontent to be distributed. The scheduling module 232 may also be incommunication with the content providing module 217 for obtaining aschedule for live channel broadcast.

An authentication module 240 may be used to authenticate various userreceiving devices and mobile devices that communicate with the head end12. The authentication module 240 may be in communication with a billingmodule 220. The billing module 220 may provide data for subscriptionsand various authorizations suitable for the user receiving devices andthe mobile devices. The authentication module 240 ultimately permits theuser receiving devices and mobile devices to communicate with the headend 12. Authentication may be performed by providing a user identifier,a password, a user device identifier or combinations thereof. Channelsand/or programs may be provided to the user receiving devices and/ormobile devices based on passcodes, as further described below.

FIG. 3 shows a user receiving device 250 that may replace any of theuser receiving devices 30 of FIG. 1. Although, a particular exampleusing the user receiving device 250 as a satellite set top box isillustrated, it is merely representative of various electronic deviceswith an internal control module (or controller) used as a contentreceiving device. An antenna 252 may be one of a number of differenttypes of antennas used for receiving satellite signals that may includeone or more low noise blocks associated therewith. The antenna 252 maybe a single antenna used for satellite television reception. Of course,multiple antennas for receiving signals from satellites in differentorbital slots may be used. In a terrestrial system such as a cabletelevision system, no antenna may be used. Rather, a connector to afiber optic or coaxial cable may be used. Terrestrial systems may havean antenna suitable for receiving terrestrial wireless signals. The userreceiving device 250 is connected to a display (e.g., one of thedisplays 46). The user receiving device 250 may have an output driver310 for formatting video and audio signals for output to the display 46.

A user receiving device control module 330 may be used to coordinate andcontrol the various functions of the user receiving device 250. The userreceiving device control module 330 may include and/or be implemented asa controller. These functions may include functions of: tuners 320A-320N(collectively 320); demodulators 322A-322N (collectively 322); decoders324A-324N (collectively 324) such as forward error correction decoders;and any corresponding buffers and/or other related functions.

The tuners 320 receive respective signals or data from correspondingindividual channels. The tuners 320 may receive data from a satellite ora source such as cable or over-the-air TV broadcasts. The tuners 320 mayreceive television programming content, program guide data or othertypes of data. The demodulators 322 demodulate the signals or data toform a demodulated signal or data. The decoders 324 decode thedemodulated signals to form decoded data or decoded signals. Byproviding a number of tuners, demodulators and decoders, a number ofdifferent content programs may be used by the user receiving device 250.For example, live viewing and recording may be performed simultaneously.A number of recordings may be made simultaneously depending on thenumber of tuners available.

The user receiving device control module 330 is in communication with amemory 340. The memory 340 is illustrated as a single box. The memory340 may be implemented as multiple different types of memories includinga hard drive, a flash drive and various other types of memory devices.The memory 340 may be other types of memory or sections of differenttypes of memory. The memory 340 may be non-volatile memory or volatilememory. The memory 340 may include a DVR 342. The DVR 342 may includerecorded content stored for later playback.

The memory 340 may include storage for various operational datacollected during operation of the user receiving device 250. Forexample, the memory 340 may store user configuration data for each userassociated with a device or system. The user configuration data mayinclude rating limits set by a user of the user receiving device 250. Adefault user configuration may also be established in case visualrecognition is not achieved. This will be described in detail below.Other types of data in the memory 340 may include the channelsubscription data, the blocked channels, adult channels, current set topbox language, TV resolution data, to do list data, the conditionalaccess module identifier, time zone data, time of day daylight savings,status data, aspect ratio data, viewing hours data, quick tune list anda zip code.

The memory 340 may also store the advanced program guide data. Thememory 340 may store program guide data that is received from the headend. The program guide data may include amounts of data including two ormore weeks of program guide data. The program guide data may becommunicated to the user receiving device 250 in various mannersincluding through the satellite 22 of FIG. 1. The program guide data mayinclude content or program identifiers, ratings and various data objectscorresponding thereto.

The user receiving device 250 may also include a user interface (UI)350. The UI 350 may include various types of user interfaces such as akeyboard, push buttons, a touch screen, and a voice activated interfaceor the like. The UI 350 may be used to: select a channel; change userprofiles including acceptable ratings; select various information suchas content selections; change the volume; change the display appearance;and/or perform other functions. The UI 350 may also be used forselecting playback locations of the content.

A network interface 352 may be included within the user receiving device250 to communicate various data through the networks 36, 42 describedabove. In one implementation, the user receiving device 250 does notinclude the network interface 352. The network interface 352 may be aWiFi, WiMax, WiMax mobile, wireless, cellular, or other types ofcommunication systems. The network interface 352 may use variousprotocols for communication therethrough including, but not limited to,hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

The user receiving device 250 may also include a conditional accessmodule 360. The conditional access module 360 prevents unauthorizedreception of the television signals through the antenna 252. Theconditional access module 360 may use a cryptographic hash to authorizethe use and display of the received signals. The conditional accessmodule 360 may receive the proper codes or signals from the head end.

The user receiving device control module 330 may also be connected to aBluetooth module 362. The Bluetooth module 362 may include and/or beimplemented as a Bluetooth transceiver. The Bluetooth transceiver may bein communication with mobile devices (e.g., the mobile devices 31 ofFIG. 1). The user receiving device control module 330 may communicatewith the mobile devices 31 via the router 44 and/or the Bluetoothtransceiver.

The user receiving device control module 330 may also include aninfrared or radio frequency transceiver 364 for communication with aremote control device 366. The remote control device 366 may be used to,for example, change a channel of the user receiving device 250. Theremote control device 366 may also be used to, for example, resumeviewing of a channel and/or a video, as is further described below. Theremote control device 366 may include a keypad 368 for generating keysignals that are communicated to the user receiving device 250. Theremote control device 366 may also include a microphone 370 forreceiving an audible signal and converting the audible signal to anelectrical signal. The electrical signal may be communicated to the userreceiving device 250. The remote control device 366 may also include adisplay 372.

FIG. 4 shows a portion 400 of a user receiving device (e.g., one of theuser receiving devices 30, 250 disclosed above). The portion 400includes the output driver 310, the user receiving device control module330, the network interface 352, the Bluetooth module 362, and thetransceiver 364. The portion 400 also includes the memory 340 and theDVR 342, which are shown collectively as memory/DVR 340/342. The userreceiving device control module 330 includes a transaction system 402.The transaction system 402 includes a transaction module 404, a profilemodule 410, a channel module 412, a DVR module 414, an output module 416and a security module 418.

The transaction module 404 includes a quick response (QR) module 420, apurchasing module 422, an authorization module 424, and a pay-per-view(PPV) module 426. The QR module 420 may generate QR codes or other typesof codes (e.g., bar codes) for content to be purchased and/or contentfor which a user is requesting authorization (or reauthorization) toview. Each of the QR codes may include a two-dimensional matrix barcode. The QR code may be a machine-readable optical label containinginformation about the content, a user receiving device, a user and/or amobile device. A QR code may contain information indicating a uniformresource identifier (URL). A mobile device may refer to a mobile phone,a tablet, a remote control device, a wearable device, etc.

The purchasing module 422 may control purchasing of content by a user ofa mobile device. This may include receiving and/or exchangingidentification information, billing information, and/or contactinformation with a mobile device of a user and/or a content provider.The stated information may be received from the mobile device andtransferred to the content provider or may be provided by the contentprovider and incorporated into a QR code. The stated information may beshared with the QR module and be displayed to the user. The statedinformation may be stored in the memory 340 and accessed by any of themodules 420, 422, 424, 426. The purchasing module 422 may provideconfirmation request messages, which may be displayed to confirm thatthe user wants to purchase certain selected content. The confirmationrequest messages may have originated at and/or have been received fromthe content provider. This is further described with respect to themethod of FIG. 8.

The authorization module 424 may perform one or more handshake processeswith the head end, the content provider, and/or a mobile device toauthorize (or reauthorize) reception and/or display of content on adisplay of the corresponding user receiving device and/or the mobiledevice. The content may be PPV content or other content. In oneembodiment, the authorization module 424 receives authorization signalsfrom a content provider to permit downloading and/or displaying ofcertain content. This is described below with respect to the method ofFIG. 8.

The authorization module 424 may generate reauthorization previewscreens and/or reauthorization messages. The authorization module 424may display via the output module 416 the reauthorization previewscreens, the reauthorization messages and/or corresponding QR codesreceived from and/or generated by the QR module 420. The reauthorizationpreview screen may be a blank (or black) screen or may provide, forexample, an image of a scene of the content attempting to be accessed bya user. The reauthorization preview screen may include a reauthorizationmessage and/or a QR code. An example of a reauthorization preview screenis shown in FIG. 7.

The pay-per-view (PPV) module 426 may generate PPV preview screensand/or PPV messages. The PPV module 426 may display via the outputmodule 416 the PPV preview screens, the PPV messages and/orcorresponding QR codes received from and/or generated by the QR module420. The PPV preview screen may be a blank (or black) screen or mayprovide, for example, an image of a scene of the content attempting tobe accessed by a user. The PPV preview screen may include a PPV messageand/or a QR code (or other code). An example of a PPV preview screen isshown in FIG. 6.

The profile module 410 manages profiles 430 of each of the mobiledevices paired with the corresponding user receiving device. Theprofiles 430 may be stored in the memory 340 and accessed by the profilemodule 410. Each of the profiles 430 may have a unique identifier (ID)number, an assigned security level, and corresponding authorizedchannels, programs and/or videos. The security level may indicate whichchannels, programs, and/or videos are permitted to be displayed for thecorresponding profile. Different profiles may have the same securitylevel or different security levels. One or more mobile devices may beassigned to a profile and thus have a corresponding profile ID number.Each of the profiles may also include mobile device and/or profilespecific features such as volume levels, maximum volumes, amount of timepermitted ON over a predetermined period, a playlist of recorded videos,a preferred channel list, and other features. The profile module 410 maycreate each of the profiles 430 based on: parental control inputs;operation history of the corresponding mobile devices; time of day ofwatching a channel, program and/or video; and/or profile informationprovided by the corresponding mobile devices.

The channel module 412 may control selection and output of channels tothe output driver 310 via the output module 416. The DVR module 414 maycontrol selection, recording, and/or output of videos. The DVR module414 may store videos in the DVR 342 and output the videos via the outputmodule 416 to the output driver 310 for display. The channel module 412and the DVR module 414 may operate based on parental guidance controls.The channel module 412 and the DVR module 414 may provide channelsand/or videos to the output module based on the profile ID number and/orthe security level associated with a profile of one or more mobiledevices. The videos may be stored as video files 432 in the memory 340and/or DVR 342.

The output module 416 controls output of channels, programs, and/orvideos to the output driver 310. This may be based on parental guidancecontrols. The output module 416 may output channels and/or videos to theoutput driver 310 based on the profile ID number and/or the securitylevel associated with a profile of one or more mobile devices.

The security module 418 may control operation of the output module 416based on a security level of a profile. The security module 418 may alsobe used to set passcodes and/or require a passcode to view certainchannels, programs and/or videos. The security module 418 may be incommunication with the mobile devices via the Bluetooth module 362.

FIG. 5 shows a mobile device 450. Any of the mobile devices of FIG. 1may be configured as the mobile device 450. The mobile device 450includes a mobile device control module 452 that controls variousfunctions of the mobile device 450. The mobile device control module 452includes a second transaction system 453 that includes a transactionmodule 454, an imaging module 456, a channel module 458, a video module459, a profile module 460, an output module 462 and a security module464.

The transaction module 454 includes a second QR module 466, a secondpurchasing module 468, a second authorization module 470, and a secondpay-per-view (PPV) module 471. The QR module 466 may receive QR codes(or other codes) and/or images of QR codes (or other codes) from theimaging module 456. The imaging module 456 is connected to an imagingdevice 473, such as a camera and may be used to acquire images of oroptically scan QR codes (or other codes) displayed on, for example, adisplay (e.g., television) of a user receiving device (e.g., any userreceiving device discloses herein). The imaging device 473 may includeone or more charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and/or other image sensors.The images may be provided to the QR module and/or forwarded from the QRmodule to a head end, a content provider and/or a user receiving device.As an alternative, the QR module may decipher the QR code (or othercode) and provide the information contained in the QR code (or othercode) to the head end, content provider and/or user receiving device.The information embedded in the QR code (or provided based on the othercode) may be included in a QR signal and/or a content request signal.Various types of information that may be included in a QR code (ordetermined based on the code scanned) are disclosed herein. Each of theQR codes may include a two-dimensional matrix bar code. The QR code maybe a machine-readable optical label containing information aboutselected content, a user receiving device, a user and/or the mobiledevice. Although the examples disclosed herein are primarily describedwith respect to QR codes, other codes may be used in replacement of QRcodes.

The purchasing module 468 may control purchasing of content by a user ofa mobile device. This may include receiving and/or exchangingidentification information, billing information, and/or contactinformation with a user receiving device and/or a content provider. Thestated information may be included in one of the QR codes and/ortransferred with the QR code to user receiving device and/or the contentprovider. The stated information may be shared with the QR module 466.The stated information may be stored in the memory 340 and accessed byany of the modules 466, 468, 470 and 471. The purchasing module 468 mayprovide confirmation request messages, which may be displayed on themobile device to confirm that the user wants to purchase certainselected content. The confirmation messages may have originated atand/or have been received from the user receiving device and/or thecontent provider. This is further described with respect to the methodof FIG. 8.

The authorization module 470 may perform a handshake process with thehead end and/or the content provider disclosed above to authorize (orreauthorize) reception and/or display of content on a display of a userreceiving device and/or the mobile device. An authorization signal forselected content may be received from a head end or content provider andforwarded from the mobile device to the user receiving device. Theauthorization signal permits downloading and/or displaying of certaincontent. This is described below with respect to the method of FIG. 8.

The PPV module 471 may control PPV purchase requests. The PPV module 471may generate request signals for PPV content. The PPV request signalsmay include channel, program and/or video identification information.This information, if not already included in a QR code, may be providedalong with the QR code to a head end, service provider and/or userreceiving device. The PPV module 471 may receive PPV content from thehead end, the content provider and/or the user receiving device andforward the content to the channel module, the video module, and/or thememory 482. The PPV module 471 may display the content via the outputmodule 462 on the display 472.

The profile module 460 manages profiles of the mobile device 450 and/orother mobile devices. The profiles 480 may be stored in memory 482 andaccessed by the profile module 460. The profiles 480 may haverespectively a unique ID, an assigned security level, and correspondingauthorized channels, programs and/or videos. The profile ID may beassigned by a user receiving device. The security level may be assignedby another mobile device (e.g., parental device) and/or a user receivingdevice. The security level may indicate which channels, programs, and/orvideos are permitted to be displayed for the corresponding profile. Eachof the profiles may also include mobile device and/or profile specificfeatures such as volume levels, maximum volumes, time permitted ON overa predetermined period, a playlist of recorded videos, a preferredchannel list, and other features. The profile module 460 may create theprofiles 480 based on parental control inputs, operation history of thecorresponding mobile devices, and/or profile information provided by thecorresponding mobile devices. As an alternative the profile module 460may receive one or more of the profiles 480 from a user receivingdevice. A profile module 460 may store user profile data within themobile device 450. The profile module 460 may store user settings, suchas favorites and parental controls. The profile module 460 may alsoreceive profile data from the head end 12.

The output module 462 controls output of signals, guides, channels,programs, and/or videos to the display 472. Although not shown, themobile device control module 452 may include guide, channel, program,and/or video modules for the accessing and/or displaying respectively ofguides, channels, programs, and/or videos. The output module 462 mayoutput signals, guides, channels, programs, and/or videos to the display472 based on the profile ID and/or the security level associated withthe profile 480.

The security module 464 may control operation of the output module 462based on a security level of the profile 480. The security module 464may also be used to set passcodes and/or require a passcode to viewcertain channels, programs and/or videos. The security module 464 may bein communication with user receiving devices via a Bluetooth module 484and/or other interface and/or transceiver. Although in FIGS. 4-5,Bluetooth modules 362 and 484 are shown, other wireless communicationmodules may be used having respective wireless communication protocols.For example, smart home wireless capable devices, such as ZigBee®modules operating according to ZigBee® protocols may be used instead ofor in addition to the Bluetooth modules 362, 484.

In one implementation the mobile device 450 may be used as a remotecontrol device and send signals to a user receiving device to select achannel, program and/or video. In another embodiment, the securitymodule 464 provides a passcode, which may be entered by a user of themobile device 450. Content received by the mobile device control module452 may be stored in the memory. This may include programs and/or videos486.

The mobile device control module 452 is in communication with amicrophone 488 that receives audible signals and converts the audiblesignals into electrical signals. The audible signals may include arequest signal. The request signal may be to perform a search and/or toobtain guide data, network data and/or playlist data. The mobile devicecontrol module 452 is also in communication with a user interface 490.The user interface 490 may include buttons, input switches and/or atouch screen.

The mobile device control module 452 is also in communication with anetwork interface 492. The network interface 492 may be used tointerface with the network 42 of FIG. 1. As mentioned above, the network42 may be a wireless network or the Internet. The network interface 492may communicate with a cellular system or with the internet or both. Anetwork identifier may be attached to or associated with eachcommunication from the mobile device 450.

Various examples are disclosed below with respect to the embodiments ofFIGS. 6-8 and other embodiments of the present disclosure. Although oneor more of the embodiments are primarily described with respect to acontent provider, all of the tasks performed by the content provider maybe performed by a head end, a service provider, a network, and/or anintermediary device in communication with a corresponding mobile device,head end, and/or the content provider.

FIG. 6. shows a content purchasing system 500 that includes a display502, a user receiving device 504, a mobile device 506, a network 508(e.g., the network 42 of FIG. 1), and a content provider 510 (e.g., thecontent provider 14 of FIG. 1). The mobile device 506, based on a userinput, may attempt to access PPV content (e.g., a channel, programand/or video) via the user receiving device 504. This may include, forexample, the mobile device 506 transmitting a content request signal tothe user receiving device 504. The content request signal may include achannel selection, a program selection and/or a video selection. Theuser receiving device 504, in response to the content request signal,may then display a content preview screen 512 including a contentpurchase message (or offer) 514, a QR code 516 and/or a text message.The content preview screen may be displayed when the user and/or themobile device 506 is not authorized to view the selected PPV content.The QR code may include a unique ID for the mobile device 506 and/or forthe user of the mobile device 506. The content preview screen 512 andthe content purchase offer 514 may be respectively a PPV preview screenand a PPV message. The content purchase offer 514 may, for example, aska user whether the user would like to purchase the PPV content for acertain price.

The mobile device 506 based on an input from a user may take a picture(i.e. capture an image) of the QR code, which may be transmitted to thecontent provider 510 via the network 508 and/or the user receivingdevice 504. This may be referred to as scanning the image. The QR codemay be transmitted to the user receiving device and then forwarded tothe content provider 510. In addition or as an alternative, the user maytext (or send) the text message to the content provider 510 via themobile device and/or a control module of the mobile device 506 maygenerate the text message based on an image of a text message displayedon the display 512. The mobile device 506 may perform image recognitionto determine the text of the text message (or first text message) on thedisplay 512 and generate a second text message to be sent to the contentprovider 510 via the network 508. The second text message may includethe text in the first text message.

The content provider 510 upon receiving the QR code and/or the secondtext message may then respond to the mobile device 506 and/or the userreceiving device 504 with an authorization code to access the PPVcontent. The user receiving device 504 and/or the mobile device 506 maythen display the PPV content on the display 502 and/or a display of themobile device 506.

FIG. 7 shows an authorization system 550 that includes a display 552, auser receiving device 554, a mobile device 556, a network 558 (e.g., thenetwork 42 of FIG. 1), and a content provider 560 (e.g., the contentprovider 14 of FIG. 1). The mobile device 556, based on a user input,may attempt to access content via the user receiving device 554. Thecontent may not be PPV content. This may include, for example, themobile device 556 transmitting a content request signal to the userreceiving device 554. The content request signal may include a channelselection, a program selection and/or a video selection. The userreceiving device 554, in response to the content request signal, maythen display a content preview screen 562 including a content purchasemessage (or offer) 564, a QR code 566 and/or a text message 568. Thecontent preview screen may be displayed when the user and/or the mobiledevice 556 is not authorized to view the selected content. The userand/or the mobile device 556 may have been previously authorized to viewthe content, but the mobile device 556 has recently lost authorization(e.g., a valid authorization code) to access the content. Thus, themobile device 556 may obtain reauthorization to display the content bytransmitting the QR code and/or the text message to the content provider560.

The QR code may include a unique ID for the mobile device 556 and/or forthe user of the mobile device 556. The content preview screen 562 andthe content purchase offer 564 may be respectively a PPV preview screenand a PPV message. The content purchase offer 564 may, for example, aska user whether the user would like to purchase the content for a certainprice.

The mobile device 556 based on an input from a user may take a picture(i.e. capture an image) of the QR code, which may be transmitted to thecontent provider 560 via the network 558 and/or the user receivingdevice 554. This may be referred to as scanning the image. The QR codemay be transmitted to the user receiving device and then forwarded tothe content provider 560. In addition or as an alternative, the user maytext (or send) the text message to the content provider 560 via themobile device and/or a control module of the mobile device 556 maygenerate the text message based on an image of a text message (or firsttext message) displayed on the display 562. The mobile device 556 mayperform image recognition to determine the text of the first textmessage on the display 562 and generate a second text message to be sentto the content provider 560 via the network 558. The second text messagemay include the text in the first text message.

The content provider 510 upon receiving the QR code and/or the secondtext message may then respond to the mobile device 506 and/or the userreceiving device 504 with an authorization code to access the content.The user receiving device 504 and/or the mobile device 506 may thendisplay the content on the display 502 and/or a display of the mobiledevice 506.

For the embodiments of FIGS. 6-7 and other embodiments disclosed herein,the disclosed QR codes may include various information, such as usercontact information, billing information, a user unique ID, a mobiledevice unique ID, a price for the selected content, a description and/orflyer of the selected content, a unique ID of the selected content,and/or other private data and/or metadata. The QR codes may include ashort payment descriptor (SPAYD), which may include a description of thecontent, time that the content is to be displayed, a price of thecontent, and/or other private data and/or metadata. The QR codes mayexpire if not used within a predetermined period of time. The contactand billing information may include an address of the user, phonenumbers of the user, credit card numbers, account numbers of the user,service provider account numbers of the user, etc. Any of thisinformation may be embedded in a QR code and/or may be provided in arequest signal along with the QR code to the content (or service)provider. The QR code may be sent to the content provider or theinformation in the QR code may be deciphered by the corresponding mobiledevice and transmitted in the request signal to the content provider.The request signal and the QR code may be transmitted to a contentprovider directly via the Internet, a broadband network, a wirednetwork, a wireless network, and/or indirectly via a user receivingdevice. The user receiving device may transmit the request signal and/orthe QR code to the content provider via the Internet, a broadbandnetwork, a wired network, a wireless network, and/or indirectly.

In one embodiment, a first portion of the stated information, a firstportion of the request signal and/or a first portion of the informationin the QR code is transmitted directly from the mobile device to thecontent provider. A second portion of the stated information, a secondportion of the request signal and/or a second portion of the informationin the QR code is transmitted from the mobile device to the userreceiving device. The user receiving device then transmits secondportion of the stated information, the second portion of the requestsignal and/or the second portion of the information in the QR code tothe content provider. The service provider may then compared first andsecond portions of received information to confirm user and/or mobiledevice information and confirmation by the user of the requested (orselected) content.

Also, for the embodiments of FIGS. 6-7 and other embodiments disclosedherein, the text messages may be in the form of a unique code. The textmessages may expire if not used within a predetermined period of time.The unique code may correspond to the content being requested, a uniqueID of the user requesting the content, and/or a unique ID of the mobiledevice requesting the content. A content provider may store atranslation table of text messages and corresponding unique IDs of usersand mobile devices.

Although the QR codes and text messages may be visible to users otherthan the user requesting the content and the text messages may beuser-visible alphanumeric and/or symbolic codes, since the userrequesting the content has to enter log-in information (e.g., user ID,password, finger print scan, or other credentials) in order to obtainaccess to a content request screen on the mobile device, authorizationby other users is prevented. The mobile device of the user requestingthe content may transmit user information to a user receiving device,prior to the user receiving device displaying a QR code and/or a textmessage. This allows the user receiving device, a head end and/or acontent provider to confirm user information prior to displaying the QRcode and/or text message. The content provider is able to compare anddetermine whether information on the QR code and/or associated with thetext message matches the user information received from the mobiledevice and/or the user receiving device and the correspondinginformation stored at the content provider. Also, as described below,confirmation request signals may be sent to the user to confirm and/orreenter user account information prior to the content being authorizedand/or displayed.

In addition, for the embodiments of FIGS. 6-7 and other embodimentsdisclosed herein, the content preview message, PPV preview messages,authorization preview messages, reauthorization preview messages, the QRcodes and/or text messages may be displayed anywhere on a screen, over apreview screen, and/or over a preview video being played out for theselected content. The QR codes and/or the text messages may also beincluded in a displayed guide (or menu). The guide may provide a list ofavailable channels, programs and/or videos, corresponding times of thechannels and/or programs, and corresponding QR codes and/or textmessages. The QR codes and/or text messages are provided for the contentnot currently authorized for a user, a mobile device, and/or a userreceiving device. As used herein, the term “user” may refer to anindividual associated with an account provided by a content provider orother user.

For the embodiments of FIGS. 6-7 and other embodiments disclosed herein,the mobile devices may include software applications (referred to as“apps”) with corresponding screens (or windows) to initiate capturing ofa QR code and/or text message. The apps may be controlled via one ormore modules (e.g., control modules) of the mobile devices and may allowa user to send various information disclosed herein to a user receivingdevice and/or a content provider. The apps and corresponding screens mayallow the user to perform various tasks such as confirming a purchase,send billing information, send contact information, etc.

In another example embodiment, in addition to or as an alternative tousing a QR code and/or a text message to obtain access to selectedcontent, an access button (or other user input element) may be displayedon a display connected to a user receiving device and/or on a display ofa user device. The user may click on the access button and obtain accessto the content. An example access button 570 is shown in FIG. 7. Theaccess button may allow quick access to the content without taking apicture and/or transmitting a QR code, a text message, and/orinformation associated with a QR code and/or text message to a userreceiving device and/or content provider. A user of a mobile device maybe requested to enter log-in information (e.g., user ID, password,finger print scan, or other credentials) in order to obtain access tothe screen having the access button, which prevents unauthorized accessby other users. The mobile device of the user requesting the content maytransmit user information to a user receiving device, prior to the userreceiving device displaying the access button. This allows the userreceiving device, a head end and/or a content provider to confirm userinformation prior to displaying the access button. Upon the userclicking on the access button, the mobile device may transmit a contentrequest signal to the user receiving device and/or the content provider.The content request signal may include content information, userinformation, mobile device information, and/or other relatedinformation, as described herein. Also, as described below, confirmationrequest signals may be sent to the user to confirm and/or reenter useraccount information prior to the content being authorized and/ordisplayed.

The systems disclosed herein may be operated using numerous methods, anexample method is illustrated in FIG. 8. Although the following tasks ofFIG. 8 are primarily described with respect to the implementations ofFIGS. 1-7, the tasks may be easily modified to apply to otherimplementations of the present disclosure. The tasks may be iterativelyperformed. In FIG. 8, a method of controlling purchasing and/orauthorization to content is shown. Although the tasks of FIG. 8 aredescribed with respect to certain modules and/or devices, the tasks ofFIG. 8 may be performed by control modules and/or other modules of amobile device, a user receiving device, a content provider, a head end,a service provider and/or other device. The mobile device, userreceiving device and content provider described below with respect tothe tasks of FIG. 8 may refer to any mobile device, user receivingdevice and/or content provider disclosed herein.

The method may begin at 600. At 601, the mobile device transmits acontent request signal to the user receiving device requesting access tocontent, such as a channel, program and/or video. The content may be PPVcontent and/or other content. At 602, the user receiving device receivesthe content request signal from the mobile device. The content requestsignal includes a unique ID of content selected by the user of themobile device.

At 604, the user receiving device determines that the selected contenthas not been purchased by the user and/or that the user does not haveauthorized access to the selected content and displays a content previewscreen. The content preview screen may be a PPV preview screen, anauthorization screen, and/or a reauthorization screen. The contentpreview screen may include a PPV message, an authorization message, areauthorization message, a QR code or other code (e.g., bar code),and/or a text message. Although QR codes are referred to below othercodes may be used.

At 606, an imaging device of the mobile device may capture an image ofthe QR code and/or a text message. At 608, the image may be received,processed and/or forwarded via one or more modules of the mobile device,such as a QR module, a control module, a purchasing module, a PPV moduleand/or an authorization module. The one or more modules may decipher theQR code and/or perform image recognition to determine the text message.In one embodiment, the one or more modules forwards the QR code and/orthe text message alone or along with a request message to a userreceiving device and/or a content provider, as described in tasks 612,630, 640.

At 610, the mobile device may determine whether the mobile device has anetwork connection to a content provider. This may be, for example anInternet connection, a broadband connection, or other networkconnection. If the mobile device has a network connection to the contentprovider, task 612 may be performed, otherwise task 624 may beperformed. Although task 610 is shown as being performed prior to task624, task 610 may be performed subsequent to task 624 and/or while task624 is being performed. In other words tasks 612-620 and/or tasks628-644 may be performed. Tasks 628-644 may be performed while tasks612-620 are performed.

At 612, the mobile device transmits the image, the QR code, the textmessage, information embedded in and/or corresponding to the QR codeand/or the text message, user information, mobile device informationand/or content information to the content provider (or head end) via thenetwork. At 614, the content provider receives the informationtransmitted at 612 and may transmit a confirmation request signal to themobile device to confirm the purchase and/or content request. As analternative, the user receiving device may have displayed and/ortransmitted a confirmation request, prior to the information transmittedat 612 being transmitted to the content provider.

At 616, the content provider determines whether the user via the mobiledevice has confirmed the purchase. This may include the mobile devicetransmitting a confirmation response signal to the content provider (orthe user receiving device). The user may click on a confirm button onthe mobile device and/or displayed on a display connected to the userreceiving device. If confirmed, task 618 is performed, otherwise themethod may end at 622.

At 618, the content provider transmits an authorization signal to theuser receiving device and/or the mobile device for the selected content.The authorization signal may include an authorization code for theselected content. At 620, based on the authorization code, the userreceiving device and/or the mobile device may download and/or displaythe selected content. In one embodiment, the content is downloaded andstored in memory of the user receiving device and/or the mobile device.The user may not be billed for the content until the content isdisplayed via the user receiving device and/or the mobile device. Themethod may end at 622 subsequent to performing task 620.

At 624, the mobile device may determine whether the mobile device isconnected to one or more user receiving devices. If the mobile device isconnected to one or more user receiving devices, task 628 is performed,otherwise task 626 is performed. At 626, the mobile device may queue(e.g., store in memory) the content request including any of theabove-stated information including the QR code, the text message, theuser information, the mobile information, the content information,and/or other related information. The mobile device may perform task 612and/or task 628 when a connection is established between the mobiledevice and a network connected to the content provider and/or betweenthe mobile device and one or more user receiving devices. The mobiledevice may wait until a connection is established and then proceed. If aconnection is not established for a predetermined period of time, thenthe mobile device may drop the content request, which may includedeleting the content request from memory.

At 628, the mobile device may select a user receiving device. At 630,the mobile device transmits the image, the QR code, the text message,the information embedded in and/or corresponding to the QR code and/orthe text message, the user information, the mobile device informationand/or the content information to the selected user receiving device. At632, the selected user receiving device may display on the displayconnected to the user receiving device and/or transmit a confirmationrequest to the mobile device.

At 634, the selected user receiving device determines whether the uservia the mobile device has confirmed the purchase. This may include themobile device transmitting a confirmation response signal to the userreceiving device. The user may click on a confirm button on the mobiledevice and/or displayed on a display connected to the user receivingdevice. If confirmed, task 636 is performed, otherwise the method mayend at 646.

At 636, if the selected user receiving device has a call back connection(or network connection) to the content provider, then task 640 isperformed, otherwise task 638 is performed. At 638, the selected userreceiving device may queue the content request including any of theabove-stated information including the QR code, the text message, theuser information, the mobile information, the content information,and/or other related information. The selected user receiving device mayperform task 640 when a connection is established between the userreceiving device and a network connected to the content provider and theuser receiving device is able to transmit signals to the contentprovider via the network connection. The selected user receiving devicemay wait until a connection is established and then proceed. If aconnection is not established for a predetermined period of time, thenthe selected user receiving device may drop the content request, whichmay include deleting the content request from memory.

At 640, the selected user receiving device transmits some or all of theabove-stated information including the QR code, the text message, theuser information, the mobile information, the content information,and/or other related information to the content provider. At 642, thecontent provider transmits an authorization signal with an authorizationcode to the selected user receiving device and/or the mobile device.Although not shown, a confirmation request may be transmitted from thecontent provider to the selected user receiving device and/or the mobiledevice to confirm the content request prior to sending the authorizationsignal.

At 644, based on the authorization code, the user receiving deviceand/or the mobile device may download and/or display the selectedcontent. In one embodiment, the content is downloaded and stored inmemory of the user receiving device and/or the mobile device. The usermay not be billed for the content until the content is displayed via theuser receiving device and/or the mobile device. The method may end at646 subsequent to performing task 644.

The above-described tasks of FIG. 8 are meant to be illustrativeexamples; the tasks may be performed sequentially, synchronously,simultaneously, continuously, during overlapping time periods or in adifferent order depending upon the application. Also, any of the tasksmay not be performed or skipped depending on the implementation and/orsequence of events.

The above-described methods allow a user to easily and quickly accesscontent regardless of whether an available user receiving device isconnected via an Internet, DSL or broadband network to a contentprovider and/or is capable of calling back and/or transmitting signalsto a content provider. The methods allow a user to easily access contentwithout having to make a phone call to a content provider or callcenter. Users (or customers) are able to have their lack of access tocontent issue quickly resolved without having to wait on hold to speakto a service provider operator.

The above-disclosed content providers, head ends, and service providersmay include and/or be implemented as respective servers. The servers mayinclude respective control modules for performing one or more of thecorresponding tasks and/or functions disclosed herein.

The wireless communications described in the present disclosure withrespect to Bluetooth transceivers of user receiving devices and mobiledevices may include transmission of data and/or signals havingshort-wavelength ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio waves in anindustrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio frequency band from 2.4to 2.485 GHz. The signals may be transmitted based on Bluetoothprotocols and/or standards. The signals may be transmitted based onBluetooth low energy (or smart) protocols and/or standards. TheBluetooth transceivers may include respective antennas.

The wireless communications described in the present disclosure can beconducted in full or partial compliance with IEEE standard 802.11-2012,IEEE standard 802.16-2009, IEEE standard 802.20-2008, and/or BluetoothCore Specification v4.0. In various implementations, Bluetooth CoreSpecification v4.0 may be modified by one or more of Bluetooth CoreSpecification Addendums 2, 3, or 4. In various implementations, IEEE802.11-2012 may be supplemented by draft IEEE standard 802.11ac, draftIEEE standard 802.11ad, and/or draft IEEE standard 802.11ah.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. As used herein, the phrase atleast one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR BOR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed tomean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.” Itshould be understood that one or more steps within a method may beexecuted in different order (or concurrently) without altering theprinciples of the present disclosure.

In this application, including the definitions below, the term ‘module’or the term ‘controller’ may be replaced with the term ‘circuit.’ Theterm ‘module’ may refer to, be part of, or include: an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; afield programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit;other suitable hardware components that provide the describedfunctionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as ina system-on-chip.

The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples,the interface circuits may include wired or wireless interfaces that areconnected to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide areanetwork (WAN), or combinations thereof. The functionality of any givenmodule of the present disclosure may be distributed among multiplemodules that are connected via interface circuits. For example, multiplemodules may allow load balancing. In a further example, a server (alsoknown as remote, or cloud) module may accomplish some functionality onbehalf of a client module.

The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, and/ormicrocode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, datastructures, and/or objects. The term shared processor circuitencompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group processor circuit encompasses aprocessor circuit that, in combination with additional processorcircuits, executes some or all code from one or more modules. Referencesto multiple processor circuits encompass multiple processor circuits ondiscrete dies, multiple processor circuits on a single die, multiplecores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a singleprocessor circuit, or a combination of the above. The term shared memorycircuit encompasses a single memory circuit that stores some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group memory circuit encompasses amemory circuit that, in combination with additional memories, storessome or all code from one or more modules.

The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readablemedium. The term computer-readable medium, as used herein, does notencompass transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagatingthrough a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readablemedium may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory.Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium are nonvolatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit,an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-onlymemory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static randomaccess memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit),magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or ahard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or aBlu-ray Disc).

The apparatuses and methods described in this application may bepartially or fully implemented by a special purpose computer created byconfiguring a general purpose computer to execute one or more particularfunctions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks andflowchart elements described above serve as software specifications,which can be translated into the computer programs by the routine workof a skilled technician or programmer.

The computer programs include processor-executable instructions that arestored on at least one non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium. The computer programs may also include or rely on stored data.The computer programs may encompass a basic input/output system (BIOS)that interacts with hardware of the special purpose computer, devicedrivers that interact with particular devices of the special purposecomputer, one or more operating systems, user applications, backgroundservices, background applications, etc.

The computer programs may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed,such as HTML (hypertext markup language) or XML (extensible markuplanguage), (ii) assembly code, (iii) object code generated from sourcecode by a compiler, (iv) source code for execution by an interpreter,(v) source code for compilation and execution by a just-in-timecompiler, etc. As examples only, source code may be written using syntaxfrom languages including C, C++, C#, Objective C, Haskell, Go, SQL, R,Lisp, Java®, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, Javascript®, HTML5,Ada, ASP (active server pages), PHP, Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang,Ruby, Flash®, Visual Basic®, Lua, and Python®.

The teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in a systemfor communicating content to an end user or user device. Both the datasource and the user device may be formed using a general computingdevice having a memory or other data storage for incoming and outgoingdata. The memory may comprise but is not limited to a hard drive, FLASH,RAM, PROM, EEPROM, ROM phase-change memory or other discrete memorycomponents.

A content or service provider is also described herein. A content orservice provider is a provider of data to the end user. The serviceprovider, for example, may provide data corresponding to the contentsuch as metadata as well as the actual content in a data stream orsignal. The content or service provider may include a general purposecomputing device, communication components, network interfaces and otherassociated circuitry to allow communication with various other devicesin the system.

Further, while the disclosure is made with respect to the delivery ofvideo (e.g., television (TV), movies, music videos, etc.), it should beunderstood that the systems and methods disclosed herein could also beused for delivery of any media content type, for example, audio, music,data files, web pages, advertising, etc. Additionally, throughout thisdisclosure the transfer of video, programs, or channel information mayinclude and is not limited to the transfer of data, content,information, programs, movie trailers, movies, advertising, assets,video data, etc.

As used herein, the term “title” will be used to refer to, for example,a movie itself and not the name of the movie. While the followingdisclosure is made with respect to example DIRECTV® broadcast servicesand systems, it should be understood that many other delivery systemsare readily applicable to disclosed systems and methods. Such systemsinclude wireless terrestrial distribution systems, wired or cabledistribution systems, cable television distribution systems, Ultra HighFrequency (UHF)/Very High Frequency (VHF) radio frequency systems orother terrestrial broadcast systems (e.g., Multi-channel Multi-pointDistribution System (MMDS), Local Multi-point Distribution System(LMDS), etc.), Internet-based distribution systems, cellulardistribution systems, power-line broadcast systems, any point-to-pointand/or multicast Internet Protocol (IP) delivery network, and fiberoptic networks. Further, the different functions collectively allocatedamong a service provider and integrated receiver/decoders (IRDs) asdescribed below can be reallocated as desired without departing from theintended scope of the present patent.

None of the elements recited in the claims are intended to be ameans-plus-function element within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f)unless an element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for,” orin the case of a method claim using the phrases “operation for” or “stepfor.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A user receiving device comprising: an interfaceconfigured to receive a content request signal from a mobile device toaccess content and to receive user information from the mobile device;and a control module configured to, in response to the content requestsignal, confirm the user information and display a content previewscreen on a display, wherein the content preview screen includes amessage, and, when the user information is confirmed, the contentpreview screen includes at least one of a quick response code, a barcode, a text message and a user input element, wherein the interface isconfigured to, based on the at least one of the quick response code, thebar code, the text message and a user input corresponding to the userinput element, receive a second request signal to access the contentfrom the mobile device; and wherein the control module is configured toobtain an authorization code based on the second request signal anddownload or display the content based on the authorization code.
 2. Theuser receiving device of claim 1, wherein: the content preview screenincludes the quick response code; the interface is configured to receivefrom the mobile device the quick response code or informationcorresponding to the quick response code; and the control module isconfigured to obtain the authorization code based on the quick responsecode or the information corresponding to the quick response code.
 3. Theuser receiving device of claim 1, wherein: the content preview screenincludes the text message; the interface is configured to receive fromthe mobile device the text message or information corresponding to thetext message; and the control module is configured to obtain theauthorization code based on the text message or informationcorresponding to the text message.
 4. The user receiving device of claim1, wherein: the content preview screen includes the user input element;and the interface is configured to receive from the mobile device thesecond request signal corresponding to the user input element.
 5. Theuser receiving device as recited in claim 1 wherein the content requestsignal comprises at least one of a channel selection, a programselection and a video selection.
 6. The user receiving device as recitedin claim 1 wherein the control module displays the content previewscreen when the user and/or the mobile device is unauthorized.
 7. Theuser receiving device as recited in claim 1 wherein the mobile devicelost authorization and the authorization code is a reauthorization code.8. The user receiving device as recited in claim 1 wherein the interfacedisplays the text message and is configured to, based on an image of atext message or a user input corresponding to the user input element,receive the second request signal to access the content from the mobiledevice.
 9. The user receiving device as recited in claim 1 whereininterface display the quick response code and the quick response codecomprises a first unique identifier for the mobile device and a user ofthe mobile device.
 10. The user receiving device as recited in claim 1wherein the message comprises a purchase price.
 11. A method ofoperating a user receiving device, the method comprising: receiving atthe user receiving device a content request signal from a mobile deviceto access content; receiving user information at the user device fromthe mobile device; confirming the user information; in response to thecontent request signal, displaying a content preview screen on adisplay, wherein the content preview screen includes a message and, whenthe user information is confirmed, the content preview screen includesat least one of a quick response code, a bar code, a text message and auser input element; based on the at least one of the quick responsecode, the bar code, the text message and a user input corresponding tothe user input element, receiving a second request signal to access thecontent from the mobile device; and obtaining an authorization codebased on the second request signal and download or display the contentbased on the authorization code.
 12. The method of claim 11, comprising:receiving at the user receiving device the quick response code orinformation corresponding to the quick response code from the mobiledevice, wherein the content preview screen includes the quick responsecode; and obtaining the authorization code based on the quick responsecode or the information corresponding to the quick response code. 13.The method of claim 11, comprising: receiving at the user receivingdevice the text message or information corresponding to the text messagefrom the mobile device, wherein the content preview screen includes thetext message; and obtaining the authorization code based on the textmessage or information corresponding to the text message.
 14. The methodof claim 11, comprising receiving at the user receiving device thesecond request signal corresponding to the user input element from themobile device, wherein the content preview screen includes the userinput element.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the content requestsignal comprises at least one of a channel selection, a programselection and a video selection.
 16. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising displaying the content preview screen when the user and/orthe mobile device is unauthorized.
 17. The method of claim 11, whereinthe mobile device lost authorization and the authorization code is areauthorization code.
 18. The method of claim 11, further comprisingdisplaying the text message in the interface and receiving the secondrequest signal to access the content from the mobile device through aninterface based on an image of a text message or a user inputcorresponding to the user input element.
 19. The method of claim 11,further comprising displaying the quick response code on the interfaceand wherein the quick response code comprises a first unique identifierfor the mobile device and a user of the mobile device.
 20. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the message comprises a purchase price.